Axe murder accused's pre-trial postponed again

The pre-trial hearing of Henri van Breda has been postponed for a second time in the Western Cape High Court this morning.

No longer sporting a thick beard, van Breda walked out of court with a smile on his face after his pre-trial conference was postponed to the 3rd of February 2017.

The provisional trial date has also been changed to 13 March 2017.

Van Breda's legal team requested further analysis from the State with prosecutor Susan Galloways telling the court that they were ready for trial.

Van Breda is accused of axing his parents and older brother to death in their De Zalze home in Stellenbosch in January last year.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE BREAKING NEWS.His younger sister Marli survived the attack.

However, she sustained serious head injuries and suffered retrograde amnesia.

The accused faces three charges of murder, one of attempted murder and a charge of defeating the ends of justice for allegedly lying to police and tampering with evidence.

Van Breda also faces charges of drug possession.

He and his girlfriend were arrested for alleged dagga possession on 6 September this year. 

He was granted bail of R1000 and Danielle Janse van Rensburg R200 at their first court appearance.

That case has been postponed to April next year, as the court awaits an assessment report on Van Breda being compiled by the National Institute for Crime Prevention and the Reintegration of Offenders.